


You Should Take It As A Compliment That I Got Drunk

by Capspandex



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: 1995 NHL All Star Game, Anaheim Ducks, Body Shots, Drinking, M/M, Southern California, Winnipeg Jets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 16:44:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12461787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capspandex/pseuds/Capspandex
Summary: They play like magic at the all star game in a freezing cold Boston in January. They get drunk that night and fall in love.





	You Should Take It As A Compliment That I Got Drunk

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Love u lara for beta-ing  
> 2\. title from gorgeous by Taylor swift  
> 3\. Idk where I was going with this but most fics with this pairing are sad and I kind of wanted to do a very fun like before it all happened fic

“Fuck”, Paul thought as he sat in the cracked leather bench of the Irish pub in the heart of downtown Boston, his buzzed head hardly making out the Sunday night playoff football game in the background that he thought might’ve been Pats vs Steelers, but he had drank more than a few too many beers to really know. He pretty much fell in love with a boy from Finland, in Winnipeg, with the perfect personality that was somewhere between “yeah I’m a dick who plays hockey” and the sweetest softest person he’d ever met. The boy’s name was Teemu, he played with him for the first time at the bullshit of an all star game that was just a shtick set up by the NHL. It was constant flashing lights and microphones and he most obnoxious reporters in their uptight suits that ever happened. He got to play with Teemu and in like ten minutes they were like magic on the ice. The fans of them roared in the crowd, their screams deafening in Paul’s ears. They went drinking at a hotel bar that night, Paul took a body shot off Teemu after god knows how many shots of vodka and mediocre beers. It was like Paul was the lacrosse playing frat boy and Teemu was the hot whore who every boy was trying to put their dick in. In his drunken state he really couldn’t stop thinking about how physically gorgeous Teemu was, he had a perfect physique, a carved jaw, really nice abs, a perfect build, a nice tan, fluffy brown hair, and eyes you could just get lost in. The night prior Paul remembers saying “Teemu fuckin’ Selanne, what a fuckin’ specimen you are,” after pretty much grinding on him, because it’s the drunk mindset, right. They’re just two kids fucking around in the nhl, right? 

The second Paul was hungover he realized how in love he was when he woke up next to Teemu in the hideous hotel room with ugly and outdated wallpaper, but the windows looking over the skyline of Boston contrasted and made up for the ugly wallpaper. His hungover state of mind only allowed him to focus on the hideous design of wallpaper, nearly forgetting ‘Teemu fuckin’ selanne’ was in his bed next to him. He fell back asleep shortly thereafter, his still altered mind was too mixed up to make anything of this. Teemu had and earlier flight than Paul did and woke up when Paul was still asleep. Teemu, being the specimen of a man he is put a damn hot pink sticky note on Paul’s forehead that said “early flight, sorry I couldn’t say goodbye, nice meeting you, xo, Teemu fuckin Selanne.” When Paul woke up and finally read the note he was like really in love, way too in love to be after a drunk maybe one night stand, who even knows, they were both so drunk. He saved the note, threw it in his suitcase, and got ready for the day. 

He didn’t really know what to do in Boston for a whole day, since his flight wasn’t until tomorrow. He ended up spending it walking around downtown Boston, which is freezing and snowy in January for the record. With every step he took a bitingly cold snowflake hit his face and his shoes crunched on the ice. The air also felt so dry and cold as it blew straight into him. He was from Canada and really shouldn’t be this cold, his sole excuse is that he was from Vancouver, not the barren snow covered lands the rest of the country Is. He got lunch at some New England specialty place, learning once again seafood isn’t his thing no matter how fresh it is. He walked around more, shopped a bit, but not even retail therapy could get the thought of Teemu off his mind- so for dinner he did the next best thing, drinking. That’s how he ended up in the bar with his thoughts and a playoff football game. After too many mediocre bills and tab much too large for one person he took a cab to the hotel. Paul was so drunk the cab looked like a neon yellow blur with the snowflakes falling on top of it. It was a beautiful winter night, at least through his eyes. The sky started with a deep blue, fading into lighter and lighter blue, and eventually into purple and pink. Past the city lights and streets he could see the bare trees of the suburbs in the shadow of the clouds, and it was a beautiful sight, and distracting enough. He pretty much passed out in the bed he shared the night prior, wishing he could be with Teemu again. 

The hotel alarm clock had an awful buzz to it that his twice hungover head really didn’t want to deal with right now. He sat up and hit snooze, rubbed his eyes, and fixed his mess of dark brown hair best he could. His dark circles looked like black eyes, but he didn’t care too much and could just tell management it was jet lag, because if they ask he wasn’t out drinking like an idiot two nights in a row because of a hopeless crush on of all people, Teemu Selanne. Paul packed up his belongings, got ready for the day, and took a cab to the airport. After what felt like hours of security and waiting he pretty much passed out on his first class seat on the jetblue flight and passed out wondering if Teemu was still hung up on him. 

On Teemu’s flight he couldn’t stop thinking about Paul. He was on his team’s stupid private plane with some teammates which made it almost awkward not to talk and doze off. He just really couldn’t stop thinking about Paul. Teemu loved that he was fun drunk, had such a sweet personality somewhere between nice frat boy and perfect type of person to lead a team. Teemu had so much fun with him and he was smiling the whole time, which his often stoic, hockey infatuated self didn’t do. Teemu almost saw himself spending the rest of his life with this stupid boy holding captaincy of the Anaheim Ducks, so he had to make the most radical, unplanned, and uncalled for decision of his life. When the plane landed he went to management and requested the trade. Management was shocked, obviously. Teemu’s excuse was obviously he wanted to win and wanted to have better people to play with, which is harsh, but it worked. They started working on the trade. 

Not to say Paul Kariya was a stalker, but also not to say Paul Kariya was not, not a stalker. He started to search for Teemu’s phone number both online from insanely obsessed fans and just records and in phone books. He actually had a phone book from Winnipeg which ended up where he was staying in Winnipeg at the time and it had the Jets number in it which was a start, he figured he could call them to talk to Teemu because he was in love and people do incredibly stupid things when they’re in love. He dialed the number on his landline praying someone would pick up. 

“Hello, this is the Winnipeg Jets organization, how can I help you today?” an amicable female voice said. 

“Uh, this is Paul Kariya and I was wondering if I could speak to Teemu Selanne,” Paul nearly stuttered saying. 

“Are you for real?” The woman asked. 

“Yes, it’s a long story”, Paul said. The girl must have believed him because he was put on hold for a while. A while turned into thirty minutes, but Paul wasn’t giving up. Finally, Teemu picked up. 

“Paul, why’d you call the Jets did I not give you my number?” He asked. 

“You didn’t and why the hell was I on hold for thirty goddamn minutes,” Paul said trying to be funny, but just sounded angry. 

“Sorry about that and unlike your lazy team, we had practice this morning,” Teemu replied. 

“No need to chirp,” Paul retorted. 

“So, why did you call?” Teemu asked pretending he didn’t know the answer. 

“I miss you, you didn’t give me a form of communication, and about the all star game,” Paul said. 

“I’ll give you my number, we shouldn’t talk about this here,” Teemu said and then he gave Paul his number. 

So, exactly twenty-seven minutes later Paul called Teemu. They talked and talked about the all star game and how fun they had with each other and about hockey and their lives, Paul fell for Teemu more and more by the millisecond. There’s no denying Teemu felt the same way. Teemu eventually broke the news to Paul. “So I asked to be traded to Anaheim,” Teemu said way, way more casually than he should have. 

“Just for me, eh,” Paul replied. 

“Yes,” Teemu said, he didn’t even try to deny it. 

Paul was instantly smiling and blushing over the phone that Teemu fuckin’ Selanne asked to be traded because he was presumably in love with him. 

“I love you,” Paul said, very nonchalantly in case anything went wrong. 

“I think I’m in love with you,” Teemu replied with much more emotion than Paul. 

“I hope you would be after asking to be traded just for me,” Paul chirped. 

“Me too. I have to go, I can’t wait to see you,” Teemu said and hung up. 

Pault was so in love with Teemu and could not contain his excitement that he was coming to Anaheim. Two weeks after that incredible phone call, he got the call from Ducks management that Teemu was traded to Anaheim and got the call from Teemu himself about picking him at LAX of all the airports in California. 

Paul took his time during the drive to LAX, he observed the sunny skies and the beaches on the side of the road and palm trees so perfect, they almost looked artificial. He put the top of his convertible down and his sunglasses on and just let the SoCal wind breeze through his hair. He felt like the perfect cliche of a Californian, and he wasn’t even from there but he had a sense of home he treasured and he couldn’t wait for Teemu to experience the same thing. Eventually he hit the hellish nightmare of LA traffic and the confusion of all the lanes. In his spare time sitting behind thousands of other drivers he counted the lanes and almost felt sympathy for the LA Kings players that have to sit through this before every event, practice, and game. The key word was almost though, because they’re the Kings, and fuck the Kings, he thought. The traffic was so piled up and just plain awful he ended up only an hour late to pick Teemu up, but Teemu didn’t mind. 

“Amazing to see you, _kultaseni_ ,” Teemu said. 

“Incredibly to finally see you again, Teemu fuckin’ Selanne,” Paul said. 

Paul could’ve kissed Teemu then and there. He looked incredible in a cheap v neck t shirt and sweatpants and not that many people actually good in that. The drive back to Paul’s house was long because of the god forsaken, absolutely horrendous traffic of Los Angeles. “Almost makes you feel bad the kings have to sit through this everyday,” Paul joked. “Almost because they’re the rival though,” Teemu said. He was going to fit in perfectly. He already had his ray-ban aviators on and was soaking up the SoCal sun. Teemu observes the beaches and the palm trees in the same way Paul did and the eyes Paul got lost in were staring at the sunset. 

Paul decided to make a move, so he did the most Californian and cliched thing he could think of. He found a relatively empty in n out parking lot by one of the million beaches and pulled into it. He parked perfectly between the white lines and looked up at the sun setting into ocean and waited for the perfect moment. The sky was filled with vibrant pinks and purples as he leaned into Teemu and Teemu leaned in right back. Paul initiated the kiss, their lips touching felt as natural as the sunset and they fit like a puzzle piece in the front of Paul’s stupid red convertible watching the sky go dark and the sun lower itself into the ever changing depths and blues of the ocean. 

“You’re going to fit in perfectly here,” Paul said. 

Teemu just smiled and leaned in for another kiss.


End file.
